Thousands of racing fans will soon converge on downtown Long Beach to celebrate the iconic street race’s golden anniversary.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach — one of the region’s biggest events, drawing nearly 200,000 people each year — will return for its 50th anniversary from Friday to Sunday, April 11-13.

The three-day racing spectacular will have extra special offerings this year to celebrate its golden anniversary, with something for everyone to enjoy — whether you’re a casual fan or a hardcore racing lover.

Last year’s Grand Prix toppled attendance records, with about 194,000 visiting Long Beach over the event’s three-day run. The event is also a major driver for the region’s economy, with the 2024 iteration generating nearly $100 million in economic output in Southern California — $58.7 million of which was in Long Beach specifically.

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And this year’s Grand Prix of Long Beach is expected to be even more spectacular than usual.

“This is a special year in the history of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach as we celebrate our 50th anniversary event,” Jim Michaelian, the longtime president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, said in a Friday, April 4, statement. “This race has certainly flourished over those years, as has the host city — Long Beach.”

The marquee Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the most iconic races in the IndyCar Series. The drivers who zip around the 1.97 mile, 11-turn street circuit through some of Long Beach’s most well-known landmarks — at speeds up to 180 mph — widely consider it the second-most prestigious race, behind the Indianapolis 500.

This year, Long Beach will be the third in the IndyCar Series season. The first two races this season were the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (in Florida) and the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix. Alex Palou, 28, won both of those — leaving fans to wonder if the Spaniard will start the 2025 season off with a hat trick in Long Beach next weekend.

It’s been an auspicious start for Palou, the two-time defending IndyCar Series champion. But he’s never won the Grand Prix of Long Beach; the closest he’s come is a third-place finish last year — in a thrilling race won by Australian Scott Dixon.

But the titular race — which will take place on Sunday afternoon and will be 90 laps this year, instead of the usual 85 — isn’t the only thing that will captivate visitors.

This year’s Grand Prix will also feature several new additions, both on and off the track, that will celebrate the event’s future while honoring its past.

“We have some special activities planned to celebrate our 50th, which highlight the history and legacy of the event,” Michaelian said, “and look forward to sharing those with the thousands of our guests here next weekend.”

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The weekend, for example, will present two Historic Formula Exhibitions — on Saturday and Sunday — that will pay tribute to Long Beach’s open-wheel racing heritage, according to organizers.

The exhibitions will feature historic cars from Formula 5000, Formula 1 and IndyCar. The lineup includes John Cannon’s 1973 March 73A from Formula 5000, Keke Rosberg’s 1983 Williams FW 008C from Formula 1, and Bryan Herta’s 1999 Reynard from IndyCar.

“What we decided to do is put all three of those eras together, in an exhibition together on both Saturday and Sunday,” Michaelian said previously, “which will be the first time that anybody has ever heard all of those types of cars on the track at the same time.”

The Grand Prix will also feature its regular standards, with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Super Drift Challenge and Robby Gordon’s SPEED/UTV Stadium Super Trucks all returning this year.

Another surprise for superfans: Racing legends Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. — each with their own storied histories in Long Beach — will be the grand marshals during this year’s Grand Prix.

While Unser Jr. is the winningest driver at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, having taken the checkered flag six times, Andretti’s wins in Long Beach have been credited with putting the event on the international stage.

Off the track, DJ duo DVBBS — known for hits such as “Tsunami,” “La La Land” and “Not Going Home” — will deliver an electric set during the Friday night concert, while Saturday night attendees will have the chance to see legendary rock band Foreigner perform at the Terrace Theater Plaza.

And there’s always the Lifestyle Expo — stocked with more than 100 vendors, from toy car sellers to an In-N-Out truck to a high-tech racing simulator — for fans to check out at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

There’s also the Food Truck Village, Family Fun Zone and plenty more for fans to check out over the weekend.

And on both Saturday and Sunday, the Grand Prix will pay special tribute to first responders and firefighters who helped battle the L.A. wildfires that devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Malcolm Dicks will be the grand marshal for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday, according to a Friday news release.

After the national anthem on Saturday, the news release said, there will also be a special flyover of helicopters from the L.A. County Fire, L.A. City Fire, Cal Fire, L.A. County Sheriff’s, L.A. Police and Long Beach Police departments.

Then on Sunday, before the titular event, 27 first responders will ride in the back of pickup trucks alongside IndyCar drivers in a pre-race parade lap — with Los Angeles city fire Capt. Erick Scott taking the helm as honorary starter.

Pasadena Fire Department Chief Anthony James will also get a special recognition on Sunday, the news release said.

“The first responders performed heroic duty during a very difficult and challenging time in Los Angeles,” Michaelian said in a statement. “They rose to the occasion and worked tirelessly to protect people’s lives and property. We are delighted to have the opportunity to recognize their efforts by honoring them prior to the start of both the IMSA and INDYCAR races.”

For those who can’t attend this year’s Grand Prix in person, meanwhile, the main race will be aired live on FOX starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. The IMSA race will air live on the USA Network starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

IndyCar practice and qualifying sessions will also be aired on Fox Sports 1 and 2.

“This race will will have a larger profile on the international stage, as it will be broadcasted to 200 different countries,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a Thursday, April 3, interview. “So it’s a real opportunity to continue to highlight Long Beach and how it’s become a tourism destination here in Southern California.”

Besides helping generate significant economic output in Long Beach and the broader Southern California region, Richardson said, the Grand Prix plays an important role in helping to solidify the city as a high-value tourist location.

“In many ways, I’m a host, meeting potential businesses that want to locate here, potential (groups that) want to move their meetings, conventions, and large scale events to Long Beach,” Richardson said. “So we host them; we show them what we’re able to do.”

That aspect of the Grand Prix is especially important this year, Richardson added, as Long Beach prepares to host several major events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and is working to revitalize its waterfront, including building a new public amphitheater near the Queen Mary.

“This year is particularly special, given that Long Beach over the next few years will be a major waterfront destination in the lead up to the 2028 Olympic Games,” Richardson said. “Long Beach is set to be a major waterfront destination and a major event center — so attendees will have the opportunity to visit us and experience a little bit of of that large event magic that takes place here in Long Beach.”

For more information and tickets, go to gplb.com.